President Joe Biden has tapped his National Security Council chief of staff to be the next ambassador to Southeast Asia's peak body.
Biden announced Friday he was nominating Yohannes Abraham to be his top diplomat to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, saying Abraham is an aide who understands his foreign policy approach.
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"You're going to find him completely knowledgeable," Biden told the first U.S.-ASEAN leader summit to be convened in Washington, D.C. "He'll be a trusted representative ... to continue deepening this critical partnership among all of us."
If confirmed by the Senate, Abraham, an alumnus of former President Barack Obama's National Economic Council and White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as Biden's transition team, will move to Indonesia for the Jakarta-based post. Between his government jobs, Abraham also worked as an Obama Foundation senior adviser.
Now in its 45th year, the U.S.-ASEAN summit was attended by only eight of the 10 member nations. Burma elected not to send a nonpolitical representative, necessitated by the military regime's failure to implement ASEAN's five-point consensus, and Filipino envoys were not present either.
"We're committed to a future where the rules and norms that have made possible so much growth and prosperity and stability in the Pacific are upheld and strengthened, including respect for the rule of law and for human rights," Biden said at the summit.
"This is something that benefits all 1 billion of the people who live in our countries, from the United States and all of you," he added.
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Biden is under pressure to encourage some ASEAN partners to take a tougher stance on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, in addition to incentivizing closer cooperation with the United States over China. He earlier proposed more than $150 million in spending as he attempts to demonstrate his commitment to the region.